Wednesday, June 30, 2010

World no.3 Novak Djokovic advanced into Wimbledon semi-finals for the second time in his career! The best Serbian tennis player ousted world no.82 Yen-Hsun Lu of Taiwan in straight sets 6-3, 6-2, 6-2 in 1 hour and 51 minutes. Novak has made a confident start to this match. He missed two break points in the fourth game of the opening set, but converted his chance in the sixth and then raced through a love service hold with an unreturnable first serve to consolidate the break and extend his lead to 5-2. The Serb took the set 6-3 in 31 minutes. Djokovic broke his opponent’s serve twice in the second set for convincing 6-2 to leave himself firmly in control of the match. The 23-year-old Belgrade native got off to the perfect start in the third set as he broke to 15. Nole got the double break on his third attempt in the fifth game when Lu hit a forehand into the net, and shortly after he closed the set and match 6-2.SOURCE:Novak Djokovic Official WebSite (read more)

Thursday, June 24, 2010

Singer Rihanna talked to E! about her recent collaboration with Eminem on the song "Love the Way You Live," off Em's Recovery. She recalled how her appearance on the song came about, and went on to describe the track as "...really beautiful."

"They reached out to us directly and they just said, 'We have this song and we just think Rihanna would be perfect to sing it,'" she said. "And, of course, I was like, 'OK, if I love it, I'll definitely do it, because I love Eminem.' And I love the song...it's really beautiful, and it really stands out."

At Sunday's MuchMuch Music Awards, Drake came out with two wins, including Hip-Hop Video of the Year and Cinematography of the Year for the video for his collab with Trey Songz "Successful." The video was shot in Drake's hometown of Toronto, which is coincidentally where the awards ceremony took place.

In other news, Tashera Simmons, wife of the currently incarcerated DMX, recently launched Women in Strength, a non-profit organization that she told AllHipHop.com, "...dedicates its time and resources for women and children who lives have been affected by drug abuse, abandonment, and other social conflicts." In order to raise funds for the group, she is auctioning off her X's platinum Roc-a-Fella plaque that was signed by Jay-Z.

The plaque features a number of platinum records released by the Roc and a signature from Hov himself that says, "16 million and counting. Thank you for your support, Jay-Z." The organization is selling the piece on eBay at a starting bid of $5,000.

She has a wardrobe stuffed full of catwalk originals. But Rihanna took inspiration from Fifties bombshell Marilyn Monroe for her date night look.

The singer channelled the 'sweater girl' style of the 40s and 50s, popularised by actresses such as Marilyn Monroe and Lana Turner in a fire engine red body-hugging cropped jumper as she stepped out for dinner with boyfriend Matt Kemp.

With her matching flame red crop, it was strikingly simple look albeit with a sexy edge. The singer looked serious as she and baseball star Kemp left a restaurant in West Hollywood.

The R&B star, 22, gave the waiting cameras a filthy look as she exited Phillipe Chow's chinese restaurant closely followed by her lover.

Rihanna has just returned to the States following a successful worldwide tour and you'd have thought she would have been happy to have been reunited with her 25-year-old Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder.

But her face told a different story, and he kept his head down, his eyes downcast as they made their way to their car.

Rihanna has contradicted herself about the relationship, only a few months ago denying that they were dating.

But in the latest issue of Elle magazine, she gushed: 'I have a boyfriend. I’m so happy. I feel really comfortable, and it’s so easy.

'I have such a chaotic life, but at the end of the day, that is just my peace.

'It keeps me sane, really, talking to him and talking to my family.

So the reason for their solemn faces could have been nothing more than a lovers' tiff over their meal.

Still sporting her recently dyed red hair, she matched her do with a bright red top and white skinny jeans which she teamed with towering black heels.

Although she and Matt are rarely pictured together, the couple have been dating for several months and she has been spotted at his games cheering him on.

She is currently enjoying a break from her Last Girl On Earth tour, which resumes in America next month.

Pop star Rihanna was left fuming as she was caught on camera with her baseball star beau Matt Kemp after a romantic dinner.

The "Unfaithful" singer who goes to great lengths to keep her relationships as private as possible, frowned at the waiting cameras as the couple was leaving Phillipe Chow's Chinese restaurant in West Hollywood, reports dailymail.

Rihanna is currently enjoying a break from her worldwide "Last Girl On Earth" tour, which resumes in US next month.

t not easy trying to pull of bright red hair but Rihanna is attempting to anyway.

She was spotted at Saks Fifth Avenue in LA wearing a sexy tight black and white dress paired with gold bangles.

She also tied to complete the look with casual black sandals… heels would have pulled it together nicely. Rihanna managed to completely pull off her new style as she met up with her new boo Matt Kemp at Phillipe Chow’s Chinese restaurant in West Hollywood.

This bright red long sleeve tee compliments her new hair as she finished the look with white skinny jeans and black pumps.

Alicia Keys is raising eyebrows around the music world for her recent comments in Elle magazine that some believe are a jab at Rihanna. The "Empire State of Mind" singer says she feels it is important to keep her style "genuine," unlike some current pop stars.

Keys does not see any reason to alter her image while promoting a new record. She says, "My look isn't plotted, like, I'm not going to have red hair because it's a new record. It has to be genuine, not a branding concept."

The mother-to-be, 29, is engaged to 31-year-old rapper/producer Swizz Beatz. Her latest album, The Element of Freedom, debuted at number two on the Billboard 200 Albums chart last December.

Keys is currently traveling in South Africa, where she recently performed at the World Cup kick-off contest.

Eminem Love The Way You Lie- which features on his Recovery album.She told E! News that she jumped at the chance to get on a record with Marshall Mathers. Ri’ explained:

“They reached out to us directly and they just said, 'We have this song and we just think Rihanna would be perfect to sing it’ and, of course, I was like, 'OK, if I love it, I'll definitely do it, because I love Eminem.' And I love the song.

The most striking aspect of "Recovery" is a sense of self-awareness, an honesty Eminem has never before been comfortable enough to offer his audience. In the past, even when he was supposedly putting it all out there for us to see, he delighted in offering contradictions; he was the violent homophobe who loved his daughter and did duets with Elton John. We were asked to try and discern which parts of what he was saying were true, and which were part of the dark fantasy world he created for himself.

"Not Afraid" is a lead single which is for the first time "not" a gimmick, and even goes so far as to acknowledge the failings of "Relapse": "Let's be honest, that last 'Relapse' CD was "ehhhh" / Perhaps I ran them accents into the ground," he raps, and it's easy to nod your head, impressed by his ability to call himself on his failings in such a plainspoken way.

Now, to say "Recovery" is a complete turnaround would be disingenuous. This is still Eminem, after all, an artist whose stock and trade has always been in shock, who knows what his audience wants and who will strike at just about any target to provide. Too often his subject matter shifts into self-aggrandizement and teardowns, where he covers up his newfound honesty with boasts and hate. It's as if his newfound honesty simply gets to be too much, and he has to retreat back to his shell for a few songs before revealing a little bit more of himself.

For all of his lyrical failings, particularly when it comes to women, however, he has an ace in the hole on "Recovery": Rihanna. Eminem takes the almost cliched misogyny that has become a staple of his work and turns it into serious business on "Love the Way You Lie," a serious song about domestic violence with an almost ghostly hook from Rihanna herself, whose presence in such a song gives it considerable weight.

When it comes to Rihanna and Hip Hop collaborations, let’s just say the talented 22-year-old has the ultimate midas touch. Her guest feature on Eminem’s ‘Love The Way You Lie’ is looking very likely to become the second single from the rapper’s new album ‘Recovery’.

Apparently, ‘Love The Way You Lie’ has already gained a staggering 10.9 million Audience Impressions. The song definetely stands a good chance at jumping to number one on itunes.

In fact, it could even find itself debuting at number one also, especially with supported airplay. Eminem knows a good opportunity when he sees one especially by collaborating with Rihanna.

The fact that Rihanna has a personal connection to the song’s stand on domestic violence makes the track a lot more authentic and meaningful.

Though some fans may have been surprised to see Rihanna's name on the tracklist of Eminem's 'Recovery' -- out today -- expect to hear more collaborations from the two in the near future. When Em heard the beat that would ultimately become 'Love the Way You Lie,' his duet with the Barbados beauty, he immediately reached out, an honor Em has rarely bestowed on female artists in the past.

"He was like, 'I definitely wanna get Rihanna on this,'" said the the song's producer, Alex da Kid.

The respect is mutual, as Rihanna explained in a recent interview with E! "They reached out to us directly and they just said, 'We have this song and we just think Rihanna would be perfect to sing it," Rihanna said. "Of course, I was like, 'OK, if I love it, I'll definitely do it, because I love Eminem.' And I love the song ... It's really beautiful, and it really stands out."

Rihanna also announced that she hopes to perform the song with Em at one of his shows with Jay-Z this September. "I would love to," she said. "That's a huge stage to be a part of."

The 'Umbrella' singer previously surprised Eminem fans when she performed with him last week at Activisions's E3 concert. Check out "Love the Way You Lie" here.

Politicians in Barbados have come under fire for handing native RIHANNA a free piece of real estate while poor residents struggle to cope nearby.

The Umbrella superstar was gifted a plot in the upmarket area of Apes Hill by Minister of Housing and Lands Michael Lashley to thank her for boosting international interest in the Caribbean island nation.

However, Government Minister Gline Clarke has lambasted the decision - insisting a rich pop star has no right to garner free land while other Barbadians live in poverty.

He says, "Why is the government paying millions of dollars for land for someone who's already making millions?"

Sunday, June 13, 2010

Novak Djokovic and Jonathan Erlich captured the AEGON Championships trophy in doubles competition on team debut. The Serbian/Israeli pair came back from a set down to defeat Karol Beck and David Skoch 6-7(6), 6-2, 10-3 in 90 minutes. Djokovic and Erlich failed to convert two break/set points in the 12th game of the first set, so it went into a tie-breaker. Beck and Skoch were more successful and took it 8-6. Nole and Erlich broke their opponents' serve twice in the second set and closed it convincingly 6-2 in just 25 minutes. The Serbian/Israeli combination continued their domination in super tie-breaker. They won it 10-3 to capture the doubles title at the ATP World Tour 250 tournament in London.SOURCE:Novak Djokovic Official WebSite (read more)